The present disclosure relates to electronic communication. In particular, the present disclosure relates to image-based challenge-response testing.
Internet bots, also referred to as web robots, are often used to collect information and perform automated tasks on the Internet. In some cases, Internet bots are used to emulate human activity, such as inputting various information into a web-based form and submitting that information. To ensure humans are using an online service and not Internet bots, a challenge-response test can be used, which requires a test, which is formulated to be simple for a human, but difficult for a machine to complete, to be completed before access to a particular resource is granted.
However, usage of these types of challenge-response tests has, in some cases, resulted in the development of increasingly sophisticated Internet bots which can circumvent the challenge-response tests. In response, the various challenge-response tests have, in some cases, become more obscure to prevent circumvention by these Internet bots. Consequently, these tests have also become increasingly difficult and onerous for human users to complete successfully, and can discourage these users from using or signing up for online services that require challenge-response testing.